


Brickhedge

by BluCup



Category: Original Work
Genre: Horror, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-22
Updated: 2016-04-21
Packaged: 2018-06-03 17:39:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6620041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BluCup/pseuds/BluCup
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Brickhedge is just your average small north-eastern American town. They have everything you would expect from such a locale: Country fairs, quirky inhabitants, local delicacies and of course, hordes of tobacco-addicted sub-subterranean goblins and a wide assortment of gruesome and bizarre happenings everywhere you turn.<br/>Yep, this is Brickhedge.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"Here's your change, and thank you for shopping at Grocery Tiger."  
\- It was just like every other day here at the one food-exclusive market in town. Customers whom I see just about every time I work came and went. Handed me their money in exchange for their paper grocery bags full of preservitive ridden junk food and canned vegetables.   
"Hi, how are you today?"  
\- Most of faces I see daily are a blur. They approach my station, lazily toss their goods onto the belt and I move it forward using the little switch mechanism that makes the whole thing move. I proceed to scan their items, they pay and then leave. Most never say a word, but there are some customers that are a bit more charismatic than others and it's those individuals that leave an impression on a cashier.  
"What do you say there, superman?" This was an older gentleman, sporting gray comb-over and a simple mustache. He was a regular and liked to joke around with the cashiers and seemed like an overall upbeat guy with a nice demeanor. Sometimes however he seemed to be too in there with the workforce and would interrupt us in the middle of dealing with another customer in order to ask a question, which was rude and made it hard to concentrate.   
"Can I help you?" the cashier asked, forcing a smile and crossing his hands on the scale.  
The customer gestured with his index finger in the "Come with me" motion. "I need some chewing tobacco."   
The cashier pulled open the metal gate and entered the kiosk - the employee only zone where all the tobacco products were kept. This of course was about as effective as a chainlink fence in the path of Godzilla. If someone wanted to go in and look at the cigarettes then that's what they're going to do, and no one was going to tell them otherwise.   
He pulls out a little black circular tub with a red sticker on top. "I want three rolls of this if you got 'em."  
The cashier scans the shelf holding all the chewing tobacco and is unable to find the rolls that the customer had requested. This doesn't instantly mean that they store is out of stock however. Extra stock, rolls in particular, are kept in a drawer below the cigarette display. This is where the cashier looked next. Kneeling down, he looked into the dark cubby but couldn't immediately see a thing, so he flicked on the little light that they kept in there for cases such as this where some backstock would get pushed a little ways back where they couldn't be seen as easily.  
The cashier reached in but found nothing. Odd he thought, "Didn't we just get another shipment in yesterday...?"  
"What's the problem, superman?" The older man asked, questioning the extended wait.   
The cashier didn't quite know what to tell him. They always had the chewing tobacco that he asked for, be it on the shelf or in the cubby. He knew why they didn't have any, but it wasn't something that he could tell a customer.   
The cashier returned to the standing position and said, "I'm sorry sir, but we haven't had our shipment of tobacco yet so we're out right now. I'm sorry."   
The man smacked his hand down on the counter and nodded, "That's quite all right superman, thanks for looking."   
"I'll finish checking you out now."

>>>

Quitting time had finally come. The clock on the wall read 5:59pm, and the next cashier to take his place had already come and took over. It was time to head home, but not before picking up a few goods before hitting the road. Tomorrow was pay day after all. But first there was another work-related matter that needed to be taken care of before he set out.   
The man headed to the back of the store, in the store room where they kept much of the stores. Stepping through the two large swinging doors was a treasure trove of twelve pack sodas, cookies, crackers. All in bulk and ready to be put out on the stores shelves when the time comes. There were other large doors here too, all of them leading to different coolers where the frozen foods, ice creams and other goods were kept so that they would not spoil. At the end of this stretch and before another set of swinging doors that lead back into the public area, there sat a small office where the manager on duty or MOD would do all their paperwork. It was a small confined space, out of the public eye and ear where important stock and other business related... business could be taken care of.   
The MOD tonight was the big boss himself, the manager of the local Grocery Tiger, Ronald Hass, or Ron as he's known as around the story. He said in the small ten by seven office, head leaning on his right hand as he scribbled something onto a piece of paper with the other. His allergies were acting up, making his already bulbousy nose glow red. This redness has garnered him the nickname 'Rudolph' among the other management.  
"Knock knock" The mans eyes moved away from his paperwork as cashier stepped into the tiny room.   
"Ahh, what can I do for you, Art?"

Arthur Cromwell, aka "Art", cashier at Grocery Tiger  
Mid to late twenties  
Short spiky light-brown hair, brown eyes. Sported a red sleeveless hoodie over a plain white tee when not working and a pair of navy blue cargo pants.

"Uh yeah," He said, "about the tobacco cubby behind the kiosk." He took a breathe before continuing. "That hole was back and all but a few tubs of Kayak were left."  
The MODs eyes widened and he placed his hands on the top of his head and then leaned back in his chair, mouth agape. This was a serious problem that had been plaguing the store for some time now and it was only getting worse. Somehow or another, an animal was getting into the cubby and taking all of the tobacco products that were stored there. They had the QA staff block it up several times in the past, even the state had come in and investigated the sewers that ran below the town and store, but found no traces of any animals; no droppings or even chewed up tobacco containers. Nothing. Hundreds of dollars were disappearing overnight and no one could explain why.  
Arthur took a deep breath before saying, "It's pretty strange how it only goes after the products in that cubby which aren't actual food. There's a whole store of of products available to it, yet..."   
"Have you told anyone else about it?" He asked, his face showing clear signs of aggravation now.  
"Just the person closing the office tonight."  
"All right, I'll look at it and see if I can't get the QA to patch it up." He sighed as he stood up, shutting the light off in the office. "You going home?"   
"Aye, but I'm back here at three o'clock tomorrow for a five hour shift."   
The MOD smiled and patted him on the back, "All right Art, you have a good night."   
"You too, Ron."

>>>

Arthur spent the next ten or so minutes walking through various aisles of the store, ultimately finding his way to one of the front registers. Most were getting backed up as a result of the afternoon rush that occurred between 3 and 7pm each and every night. It was a small store and only has five registers, seven if you count the front desk and the register that's mainly there for the MODs to jump and do price checks on, which Arthur found to be incredibly dumb. We were slammed daily, why not have an extra cashier come in and work on that register too, save the rest of us a headache. Wasn't worth dwelling on.   
"Did you find everything today?" Said the girl running the register to the customer that stood before her.   
Art looked over the shoulder of the customer that stood before him and tried to see who it was at the front currently occupying the cashiers attention. Looked like a woman. Long brownish red hair. Couldn't get a look at her face but she seemed kinda young, maybe around his age. he shrugged and fell back in line to wait for his turn. Eventually it came and he placed his stuff up on the belt. The cashier working this line was new and he had barely spoken a word to them since they started here the week before the last. Nor did they speak to him. Art didn't like to mingle with the minors since kids annoyed him greatly and he wasn't fond of the hour long breaks they were given, placing a longer than needed handicap on the rest of the front-end. It wasn't their fault, no more than it was the suns fault for blinding you in the afternoon. Still, he chose to keep his distance and not converse with them.  
She bagged up his stuff and took his money, handing him his change she finally wished him a good night then he was on his way. A small TV dinner, a bag of chips and some soda. This would be his dinner tonight once he got back to his apartment. 

On his way out, a specific tabloid caught his eye. It was the 'Midnight Star' and was the most popular paranormal tabloid in Brickhedge- and it sold like crap. Everyone would rather read about the latest made up death threats against Desi Arnaz Jr. than the happenings in their own town. It was released bi-weekly and was filled cover to cover with sighting reports, photos and sketches. Art thought it was interesting and he bought into a lot of the weirder stuff going on in town, though he got his info from the internet and would never be seen buying the magazine. At least, not from his place of work.  
The cover of this weeks magazine read in big bold letters "SMOKING IMPS SPOTTED ON MAIN STREET" and showed three different sketches based on descriptions given by those whom had seen the beasts. Three little horrid creatures were pictured, all holding cigarettes either between their stubby little fingers or between their lips. He entertained the idea that maybe, just maybe, these nicotine-addicted imps were the ones sneaking into the cubby at night and swiping the chewing tobacco. He didn't brush the idea aside, but he sure was heck wasn't going to share the idea with anyone. Not yet anyway.

Arthur stepped out into the cool late September air and took a deep breath. The brisk autumn air filled his lungs and helped clean out any old musty humid air from the old season before it.. Summer had only ended a few days prior, but already it was a cool seventy degrees in the day and low fifties at night. Perfect autumn weather.  
He started on his way, first making it out of the markets parking lot which he found his self in several times a day to gather carts. He hit the sidewalk and started off down the street,in the direction of his apartment which stood a few blocks away. He passed familiar stores such as Gamestop, Candy Village and a small butcher along the way. Streetlamps that were normally swarmed by moths and other insects were finally standing in peace now, free of their nightly nuisances.  
He took a look up into the sky and at the moon that sat all alone in the clear night sky. It was approaching its next full phase, which this month, with the advent of thing coming of Autumn, would be known as the Harvest Moon.


	2. Autumn Ayres

"Okay that will be twelve seventy-three. Do you have your VIP card?" The chubby cashier said, her voice and the fake smile that cut across her face clearly spelling out her minor status.  
The customer shook her head no, prompting the cashier to scan their store card. "I live on the other side of town and I don't shop here often." She explained, "I don't carry a walet or anything and I definitely don't need another card in my pocket." She swiped her debit card and was handed her receipt. She noticed the cashiers body language was very uptight and annoying. She grimaced and took her back and turned to walk away, her long thick auburn hair swaying to her side and then resting back in place at the end of the turn.

She exited the building and cut across the parking lot, dodging cars like she was Frogger. The store was witnessing its afternoon rush and she wanted to get out of there while she could. She was nearly run over by a woman driving a white Mazda, her eyes were glued to her phone and had looked up at the very last second. The driver looked at passerby with disgust, almost in a way that would suggest that she, not the driver, was at fault her.  
The woman finally reached the sidewalk and breathed a sigh of relief. She had made it out of the gauntlet known as the parking lot at rush alive and in perfect condition. She dug into her plastic bag and pulled out a York peppermint patty and took a bite, savoring its perfectly balanced dark chocolate and peppermint flavors. Sure she wasn't going to wind up on top of a snowy mountain whenever she took a bite, but that fact did not stop the coolness of the peppermint from rushing through her body, filling her with a nice cool sensation. One that even trumped the brisk late September air.  
The weatherman said earlier in the week that seasons the town of Brickhedge would, on the first day of autumn, feel an immediate cool down to coincide with the departure of summer and the arrival of the fall season. Sure enough here it was; the days were less humid and hung around in the mid to upper seventies. The nights dropped down to a chill low to mid fifties. There was no transition period between the two seasons, as the day before autumn began was a sweltering eighty-seven degrees with high humidity.  
She started off on her trek home. Within minutes the grocery market was out of sight, making ehr way down main street. All around here the town still bustled with life. Save for the Grocery Tiger and the Wal-Mart, there were very few major corporations at work her. Brickhedge thrived on keeping everything local, being so out of the way that most corporations wouldn't even notice it on the map and thus never set up shop.  
An elderly old woman, spry with energy still swept some early season leaves from the welcome mat. The woman walked by and nodded with a smile. The old woman returned it. This was old Ethel Chase, she ran one of the three tailors here in town. Her specialty was pants, while her sisters Lucy and Carolyn were experts with shirts and dresses.  
"Hello Autumn, how are you doing dear?" She said, her voice frail and kind, a bit whiny sounding.

Autumn Ayres, local dog walker  
Mid-twenties  
Long auburn hair that reached her lower back. Liked to dress according to the season. She sported a brown ensemble tonight, a brown faux leather jacket over a black tee. A maroon skirt and black leggings.

"I'm fine, Ms. Ethel. How are you getting along? I hope you're keeping warm?"  
The old woman set aside her broom and said, "Oh I'm fine dear, don't have to worry 'bout me a smidge. I've got mah flannel throw over and my nice warm goose down comforter, I sure do." Her head wobbled a bit, kinda like one of those bobblehead figures that. Her posture was unhealthy, she was bent over and had a rather prominent hunchback. Sad, Autumn thought. Ethel picked back up her broom and continued to sweep the pavement.  
"Closing time?" Autumn asked.  
"Aye, at six-thirty. Matlock starts at seven and I wanna see it tonight, I sure do." Ethel had a slight Irish accent and liked to top all of her sentences off with "I sure do". As far as Autumn could tell it wasn't an Irish thing and was just something the old nan did out of habit. Who knows.  
"Well I gotta get going before it gets any later. I hope you enjoy your show. And please remember to tuck yourself in tonight, nice and tight, okay?"  
The old woman nodded and said, "I sure will." She smiled, cutting a grin across her toothless face. Her large bottlecap glasses enlarging her eyes to humorous proportions made her a sight to behold. All Autumn could do was turn away and just hope she wouldn't burst into laughter before she was out of earshot of the aging woman.  
She continued her trek through the busiest portion of town. Small shops, houses and apartment buildings lined the streets. The sidwalks which ran all over town were composed entirely of red and brown bricks. It was these that which the founding fathers of Brickhedge named the town after.  
Though not completely dark out yet, the towns many streetlamps were on and illuminating the streets in glorious light, setting a beautiful and -if you're a young couple walking the streets on your way to dinner- romantic setting. The lamps themselves were a of a Gothic design; they retained the standard hexagonal lamp shape, with four sides covered by four panes of glass. The lid of the lamp started wide and came to a very fine point like a steeple and several spindly pieces of metal shot out of the edges and curcled, creating an ominous spider-like shape when viewed from a certain angle.  
Autumn always loved the look of the town at night, in the fall, when leaves littered the walkways and were pushed here and there by gentle bursts of cool air. It wasn't quite there yet as not many leaves laid on the ground, but it was coming very soon.  
Her journey home took her past several businesses, each sitting flush against each other in a five mile long stretch of buildings Brickhedges lower half; with lines buildings, streetlamps and trees and other necessities dotted all along, and across the street were individual buildings, some business like the pet groomers but mostly residential. These residential buildings were about as picturesque as it got: Cozy little cottages with black shingled roofs, their exteriors lined with white paneling or none at all were just brick. Most window sills were lined with little flower beds and the yards were small and lined with white picket fences in most cases.  
She loved walking through this area at this time of day. She enjoyed the scenery; the little houses with their lights all turned on looked lovely in front of the countryside that sat behind them which was now fading into darkness. "So cozy." She thought as she turned the corner and stopped at crossing zone. She pushed the button on the pole to her right and waited for the little stop sign to change to a stick figure in motion, signaling to move. A few cars made their turns here, most likely people heading home for dinner.  
She looked up into the sky to see a rather bright almost full moon hanging silently in the night sky. It was nearing its next full phase, which is to come on the 27th. That's two days from now. This next full moon is extra special, especially for the farmers that make their living around here, for it is the Harvest Moon: The first full moon that occurs after the autumnal equinox. Farmers in old times, before tractor lights came along, would the light it gave at night to continue their work long after the sun had gone down. Nowadays, at least in Brickhedge, all the local farmers in town gather up what's left of their summer and early autumn crops and hold a harvest festival where they sell off as much of that particular harvest to the locals at lower than average prices rather than shipping it off to distributing plants to be sent out all over the country.  
Autumn turned and gazed back over main street. Main Street, Brickhedge wasn't just one street. It was three five mile stretches, with the center road surrounded by brick and mortar businesses, apartments and other shops on both sides, while the lower street - the one that Autumn had just walked- was mostly residential with great view of the countryside. The upper street was businesses on one side and a vast field on the other which is where local festivals and other events were held. They were currently setting up for the harvest festival there.

She continued onward and was now coming up on the local elementary school. It was quiet here, and only one dimly lit lamp post stood outside the exit to the playground, next to a bus stop. The playground was dark and was often times used as a hangout for the less... fortunate citizens of Brickhedge. Many a times were drug busts made here and the playground closed for days while it was cleaned before the kids could use it again.  
"yodada..." A tiny gurgly high pitched voice, followed by what sounded like a cigarette lighter flicking several times emanated from the park.  
Autumn stopped in her tracks. Her gaze turned into the dark playground, only barely illuminated by what little light the moon was currently giving off.  
"ghibbiskha..." flick, flick, this time the voice sounded as if it was coming from one of the tunnel slides.  
Against her better judgement, she said "Is there anyone there? This area is off limits at night you know." The flicking sound stopped and all was silent. Autumn was a brave woman when it came down to it. Many women would say she has a severe lack of common sense, especially doing what she just did in an area known for crime. It was the odd, inhuman sound to the voice that made her toss caution to the wind and shout out like she did. Something was off about this.  
Flick, flick. The lighter sound returned. "gobbysmack!" as did the creepy little voice.  
She stepped foot into the playground, determined to find the source of this strange noise. She had heard about the recent sightings of small goblin like animals in town, but she wasn't one to believe these stories. She expected to find a raccoon or an oppossum infected with severe mange.  
She reached into her shirt and pulled out a tiny flashlight and flicked the tiny rubber nub at the end, turning it on and giving her some better visibility. "I've got to stop keeping my flashlight there." She thought. Taking several steps across the mulch covered playground. The battery growing weaker in her light.  
She approached the exit of one of the short tunnel slides, most likely designed for toddlers or the kids too scared to venture to the taller and honestly way more fun tunnels. It was pitch black inside and she bent down, one knee on the ground, to peer inside. "Was this where that noise was coming from?" She shined the light inside and, to her surprise, was a small hairless grey human like creature with large ears, a giant nose and two large fangs coming from it slower jaw. It sat there, leaning against the side of the slide with a cigarette in its mouth. She gasped in horror. It snapped at her, its pupils dilated as it jumped towards her. The snapping of its jaws sounded out and she dropped her light source. She heard the sound of its little feet scampering across the playground and then the rattling of the chain link fence as whatever it was climbed up and over it before the area fell silent once again.  
Autumn wasted no more time there and ran as fast as she could out of the playground and up the brick paved sidewalk, almost scattering the few items she bought from the market. She was in shock and wasn't sure how to process what she had just witnessed.


	3. The Morning After

A tangled mess of auburn strands justed out in every possible direction from Autumn's head; her bed head a sight to behold when it affected what seemed like every single individual hair.  
The suns rays shown down into her bedroom from just over Widows Peak, filling her room with a gentle morning glow that slowly heated the hardwood floor and the room as a whole. The dust particles that were hanging around in the air were now made visible, but paid no heed and continued their Not much heat made it into her bedroom which sat just to the left after climbing the stairs. While not much of a issue in spring or fall, it was more than a problem in the colder months ranging form December to February.  
While waiting for the floor to heat from the suns rays, she took this lazy time to check any updates in her social network. Reaching for her phone on the stand beside her bed, she tapped the screen twice to activate it. Typed her four digit pin number and then slid her finger across the screen and activated the Facebook app. Scrolling through her notifications, she was greeted with the usual Facebook clutter: Kitten videos, incorrectly used meme images, aggressive religious and political opinions and middle-aged women sharing the odd picture of a Minion. Maybe the occasional "I'm pregnant" announcement here and there from one of her old high-school friends.  
"Good for them,"  
No private messages from distant relatives, and she hoped it stayed that way. It always meant trouble.  
She closed off the app and went to her text messages and tapped the profile labeled "Mira". Her thumbs began to gracefully glide across the phones surface, like a pair of dancers performing a complex dance routine.  
"Hey Mira, are you up?"  
"Good mornin' Autumn, how are ya?"  
"I had a rough night, which is something I need to talk to you about, so could you meet me outside my house in about a half an hour?"  
There was a long delay. Mira did not reply, and that worried Autumn. She needed to talk to someone sooner, not later and it needed to be in person. Mira was a busy woman with a job and family to care for, so Autumn gave her the benefit of the doubt that she wasn't ignoring her request for a casual meeting. It was possible, being a Monday morning, that she was chasing her five-year old son around trying to get him ready for school.  
Finally Autumn set her phone down and slid out of bed, her feet touching the now warmed floor she stood up and stretched. Her back and shoulders cracked, surprisingly considering she had tossed and turned all night so her bones never had the chance to rest. She met an sharp itch on her back with a vigorous scratch through the soft fabric of her tight fitting white long-sleeved night shirt, then made her way into the bathroom and performed the usual morning activities. The ceramic tiles that made up the floor of the room were always cold no matter how warm the bedroom was. She always felt she might as well have been stepping out onto the tip of an iceberg in your barefeet; If you weren't awake before stepping into the bathroom, you would be as soon as.  
She stepped out of the shower and dried herself off, then put on her clothes for the day. The weather app on her phone was calling for temps in the upper 60s today, sunny with a few passing clouds that would thicken as the day went on and would lead into a substantial rain event later in the evening. Knowing this, she dressed accordingly: A pair of old jeans, her favorite running shoes and a light sweater; this one not being anywhere near as form fitting as her night shirt which she stupidly wore out in public once - without a bra - and got more than a few passing glances and comments. One old woman spat at her and called her a hussy.  
Now dressed and fully fit for the day, she stepped out of the cold bathroom and back into the warm light of the sun. Then she remembered she forgot her deodorant and so she returned to the bathroom once more.

She flopped down on the end of her bed, looking over her inbox. She had only one job offer today from Ms. Jenson down the road. She was requesting that Autumn walked her three doberman pinschers. Why did a woman her age need three menacing looking dogs like that Autumn wondered to herself, though she had walked them before and they were three of the most loving dogs she has ever had the honor of walking.  
After sending her acceptance, she quickly received a voice mail back full of gratitude.  
Another message came through as well.  
"Sorry for the late reply, Autumn. I was getting Gale ready for school. He's gone now so I'll see you in about 10 minutes, k?"  
Autumn unplugged her phone from its charger and slipped it into her pocket and then grabbed her wallet from her computer desk, careful not to trip over her rain boots which sat carelessly on the floor.  
She stopped and took one last glance around her bedroom to make sure she wasn't forgetting anything. She didn't make her bed. "I'll get that later." She turned the knob and exited her room, but not before taking a deep breath for she knew who she might encounter.

She descended the stairs into the hallway between the living room and kitchen. Before her was the front door, but her destination was the kitchen, so she made a hard right and into the doorway, setting foot onto hardwood. The kitchen was large and spacious, with a center island that housed the oven and stovetop and adequate space for preparing food. The countertops were a marbled tan and topped off the offwhite color that the shelves and island itself were painted.  
There was no dinner table like one would expect, but instead an L-shaped counter in the corner of the room, beside the large window - draped in a pure white curtain - overlooking the backyard. The refrigerator sat just beside it for easy access.  
Autumn paused as she entered the kitchen and scanned the room for any signs of life. None. She pushed on and made her way over to the fridge and grabbed a can of Dr. Pepper and quickly retreated.

Stepping outside, her face was blasted by a burst of cool air. The sun that had shown brightly just fifteen minutes before had slipped behind a thick blanket of grey clouds that weren't forecast to move in into much later in the evening, but here they were, blanketing the sky in a dull grey, dulling out the sun's happy rays and casting down a feeling of gloom onto the town. Fortunately for many of the residents, cloudy days like this were pretty common during the fall and it was only the threat of rain earlier that was predicted that seemed to bewilder anyone.  
"Psh," Autumn spat, wrapping her arms across her chest to rub her upperarms in a bid to keep herself warm, "That weather app can bite me. This is way colder than they said it would be, not to mention those clouds..." She thought as she went down the steps that lead downward from her front door and into the sidewalk below where leaves of different stages of decay and from different trees lay scattered about, rustling ever so gently with the wind.  
Beside the lamp post, just down from her house was a woman with her eyes glued to her phone and fingers going a mile a minute.It was a short woman, probably around the mid-four foot range with shoulder length hair that was dyed blue at the ends. Mira Folger, Autumn's oldest friend and young mother.  
"Mira Folger," Autumn said while smiling  
The shorter woman finally looked up from her phone, "Autumn! Sorry taking so long to reply. But I'm here anyway, so whatever." She nodded as her gaze reverted back to her phone.  
The taller, auburn headed woman twisted the cap off of her bottle of soda and then took small sip before returning the cap to its starting position. "Busy morning I assume?"  
Mira's arms dropped to her sides and her head fell back against the cold steel black lamp post behind her. She let loose an exhausted sounding sigh the likes of which would make a sloth feel concern. "YES! With my son, it's totally understandable that he can't do all that's necessary to get ready in the morning. My husband on the other hand has no excuse. Lazy sack of..."  
Autumn laughed at her friends expense because despite the complaints, she knew that Mira loved it. "You know, I don't believe that you hate it nearly as much as you want to sound like you do; I know you Mira, you've dreamed of having a family ever since we were seven so you're not fooling anybody."  
Mira's eyes fixed their sights upon Autumn and a huge smile flashed across her face before she stepped away from the lamp post. "So what did you want to talk to me about anyway?"

The two made their way down the street, past the elementary school and towards the playground where the mysterious events from the night before had transpired. Because it was still early, the children would be in class for another two or so hours before being let out for recess and thus the playground would still be untouched from the night before.  
Mira was an open minded girl, having grown up in a Hispanic family, she was quite familiar with legends and folklore. Still, when one of her oldest friends was telling her about a smoking goblin in the playground slide, she couldn't help but be a bit worried. "Are you feeling okay, Autumn? You don't have a fever do you?" She placed a hand on the taller womans forehead before having it slapped away. She laughed.  
"I'm fine, Mira. I know what I saw here last night, look you can even see the cigarette ash at the end of the slide." She pointed but didn't get much of a response from her friend.  
"That's dirt."  
"THAT'S NOT DI-... Okay, come with me. I want to show you something." She grabbed her friends arm and tugged along down the street to the nearest news stand and reached for the latest Midnight Star, she flipped through the pages and stopped at the one about the goblins seen smoking cigarettes all over town. She pointed to the biggest one and said, "That one. That right there, it's what I saw at the playground last night." The creature she had her finger on was described by the person that reported it stood about two-feet tall, had leathery greyish blue skin, a protruding jawline that came out farther than its top jaw and featured a prominent forehead below a hairless dome. It puffed gingerly on a cigarette while leaning against a crudely drawn fence post.  
"Woah there girl, calm down. I didn't say that I didn't believe you. Take a deep breath and chill. How about we talk about this over a cup of coffee, eh?"  
"Hey yous ladies, if yas not gunna buy that magazine then I's suggest that you be putting it back." The short fat man sitting in his fold out chair growled.  
Autumn held up her bottle of soda. Mira snatched it from her hand and tossed it into the garbage can. "Enough of this crap, let's go get you a mocha latte or something.  
Autumn nodded and placed the magazine back on the rack before setting off after her friend.


End file.
